Going to college is a big deal, and every newcomer to higher education wants to grow, succeed, and graduate. An increasing number of Native American college students are no longer first generation, and organizations like AISES are committed to promoting increased access, equity, and inclusion. Completion rates for Native students still lag behind those of other students. Academic observers continue to emphasize the need to move “beyond the asterisk” — a reference to the frequent use of this symbol (*) in enrollment data to indicate that Native students were too few to be counted.
So how do you approach college with a mindset that will help you navigate the journey and find ways to thrive? While there’s no magic formula, there are common-sense insights that can help. Keeping your Native culture close is the foundation for the guidance we have to share.
Let your culture be your guide.
Adapting to an unfamiliar setting — including new educational patterns, teaching styles, and peer interactions — can be challenging, especially if you’re around people who lack awareness of Native traditions and values. Anyone who’s ever felt “othered” knows it’s a tough thing to encounter. Experts suggest allowing such experiences to remind you of your inner staying power.
“Our Native culture and identity are assets we can leverage during challenging times,” says Mandy Smoker Broaddus, a practice expert in Indigenous education at the nonprofit organization Education Northwest. “When we’re digging deep to adjust to new circumstances, it can help to remind ourselves about the resiliency of our ancestors that was passed on to us.”
Participate to shape the dialogue.
Research into Native American undergraduates attending predominantly white universities points to the importance of a sense of belonging. The findings show that Native students who engaged with faculty in class and with diverse peers frequently in a variety of circumstances felt a stronger sense of belonging than their same-race peers who engaged with others less frequently or not at all.
Cherokee Nation citizen Whitney Sawney recommends embracing the opportunity to educate others. “Speak up in your classes,” says the University of Arkansas graduate. “I attended a university with very few American Indian students, and Native issues were rarely mentioned in my classes. It was always really important for me, especially in my political science classes, to stand up and say, ‘Hey wait, what about tribal governments?’ Sometimes bringing up a subject you feel is overlooked might be uncomfortable. Use the opportunity to educate others and engage them in conversation. Only when you speak up will social change begin.
Ask for help if you need it.
Don’t try to go it alone — that’s never a good idea. Many schools have Native American student services and resources as well as membership organizations where students can find a supportive environment and get to know their Native peers. Colleges and universities also have mental health professionals and academic advisors who can offer support. Professors and instructors are an important resource too. You can reach out to them with questions, ask for study tips, and get advice about your academic path. Even if you’re attending a tribal university, you may still need help making the adjustment to higher education. Here’s the thing, though: You have to ask.
“Whenever I hit a rough patch in college, I thought I had to figure it all out on my own,” recalls Jarrid Whitney, assistant vice president for student affairs, enrollment & career services at Caltech and a member of the Six Nations Cayuga Tribe. “I was so wrong! Today, I make sure to tell students that there are tons of services on campuses that are available to them, most of which are free. Asking for help can sometimes be difficult, especially from people of another background or culture, but it’s necessary. Someone once told me, ‘Support comes in all colors.’”
Have faith in yourself.
“It can be profoundly useful to have perspectives based on life experiences that may be different from many people around us,” observes Smoker Broaddus, who was named 2015 National Indian Educator of the Year. “As we continue to respect ourselves and appreciate all that we bring to the table, the people around us will respect and appreciate us too.”
When we find ourselves in uncomfortable territory, it can be easy to lose sight of the talents and personal qualities that are our greatest strengths. Remember to hold on to your confidence. Learning as we go is part of the human experience. Your Native culture can be a tremendous source of resilience and serve as a steady guide throughout your college career.
On Topic
Tennison Wade Big Day, Apsaalooke (Crow), is a sophomore at Montana State University majoring in environmental science land rehabilitation with a minor in anthropology.
How has keeping your Native culture top of mind at school been important to you?
Culture is important because after graduating from high school we leave the reservation for college. Our elders equip us with basic Crow principles or instructions that are similar to the Bible — our “basic instructions before leaving Earth.” But from a Crow’s view, these principles are the Apsaálooké language, clan system, and culture. I was brought up in a house that only spoke Crow and did things the old way. The more I was exposed to the culture, the more it helped me to understand how important language can be. It is my understanding that my grandparents are the biggest contributors to our culture and our grandmothers are the matriarchs of our family. Being raised by them, along with my parents, has taught me a lot about our Crow culture’s history and ways of our clan system. When we are born, we inherit one clan from our mother’s and one from our father’s side. Both clans are important to me because the clan system teaches who we are related to and who we can tease and not tease, in a matter of respect for our elders and leaders. I have much respect for my professors, mentors, colleagues, friends, and elders — and they respect me. The Arrow Creek people on the Crow Reservation are the original speakers of the old language and keepers of traditions, which is why it’s important to me to always remember to keep my culture top of mind while I’m away at school. Keeping my Crow culture and language alive in everyday life will reinforce a sense of identity in my children and will help build their self-esteem as they get older.
What Native items did you bring to college? Why was it important to have these things?
The only thing I brought with me is a promise and a story. Before I started my educational journey, I made a promise in our 75th Anniversary Crow Shoshone Sundance, which reenacts a promise my great-grandfather William Big Day made in 1938. When he took his son who had been diagnosed with double pneumonia and was dying and raised him up to the sunrise, he asked the Creator to allow his son to regain his strength. A few minutes later, his prayer was answered. His son, Heywood Big Day Sr., started to regain his strength and began to eat again. William told the Creator that he would bring the Crow Sundance back to his people.
As a kid, I always wanted be like my great-grandfather, but with a degree. I have turned to this story to help me see the world through the eyes of my elders and ancestors. It reinforces those values and reminds me of the kind of life I should lead — a life of humility, generosity, and respect as a Crow traditional leader, just like my great-grandfather, is the way I will go forth.
How does your culture fit into your daily life on campus?
No matter what I do, culture is part of my everyday life on and off campus. I wake up before sunrise and pray for a good education and for all living things on Earth that walk, fly, and grow. During hard times, I sit at a tree and offer it tobacco to ask for guidance. When a lab assigns a research proposal project on plants, I speak to the plants as they are living organisms just like us. When I’m in an anthropology or history class, I write my papers the way my elders told me to write, without adding things to the original story. During some seasons I pick traditional smudging remedies to pray for family, children, and home.
In what ways have you shared your culture with non-Native students?
I volunteered to present and teach kids at Irving Middle School about Crow traditional gaming (hand games) and why elders in families are important. Telling stories about my grandparents has given the kids the opportunity to build stronger relationships with their own grandparents and share their stories with others. Through hand games they have connected with people from all different backgrounds and are building better friendship ties with each other.
How helpful have you found campus Native organizations, like an AISES College Chapter?
Finding an AISES chapter on campus when you are a new student is like going through a few doors to see what’s on the other side. When I transferred to Montana State University from Sacramento, Calif., my fiancé introduced me to the American Indian Council (AIC). Through AIC I found the AISES Chapter.
